- 6000 square meter facility is the sole provider of freshly-milled oats in the region -

Dubai, 28 February 2011 - Al Ghurair Foods, a leading Middle East foods manufacturer, officially inaugurated today its state-of-the-art oats plant, which is set to be the only provider of freshly-milled oats in the GCC, and with an annual manufacturing capacity of 33,000 tons. The new oats facility fits extremely well within Al Ghurair Foods' offering, and falls in line with the company's commitment to provide high quality healthy products.

The 6000 square meters plant comes to serve the rising regional demand from different industries on locally-manufactured oats. It is a valuable addition to Al Ghurair Foods' series of milestones, standing as the region's first of its kind, next to a huge flour plant with a daily 5,000 tons capacity and the Middle East's largest oil refinery.

Commenting on the launch of the new oats plant, Essa Al Ghurair, Chairman of Al Ghurair Foods, said: "This new facility not only serves the UAE, as a key international trading hub and the world's third largest re-exporter of agricultural products, but also the wider GCC region, which has long been one of the biggest food import regions in the world, bringing almost 90% of food products in from other markets. We are proud to be a major contributor to the local and regional economies and to develop local production facilities that can serve the region's growing demand for multiple-use products such as oats.

"Our freshly-milled oats factory will provide a healthy product that can be used in several other industries. This facility will generate a significant ripple effect, adding value to the operations of numerous wholesalers, manufacturers, retailers and other entities in the food services industry at both local and regional levels," he added.

Till date, oats were being imported, requiring a lead time of at least 5 to 6 weeks. The new freshly-milled oats plant, will ensure shorter lead times and flexibility of production according to customers' needs. Oats produced in the UAE will be distributed to region to service the high demand across numerous industries including healthcare, cosmetics and food services.

According to Ibrahim Al Ghurair, Head of Business Unit - Oats, at Al Ghurair Foods, the facility is far beyond a great economic contribution that spreads out from the UAE to the region, it is also a provider of a very healthy product with proven health benefits that help address several of the health issues in the UAE and the region, including obesity and abnormal cholesterol levels which are generating worrying rates of diabetes and heart diseases. "Freshly milled in the UAE, oats provide nourishment, satiate hunger, boost energy levels, and facilitate digestion. Oat meals are significant sources of dietary fiber, which has proven effective in lowering blood cholesterol. In addition, oat meals can spread the rise in blood sugars over a longer time period, thus slowing the rise in blood glucose levels following a meal and delaying its decline to pre-meal levels. That's among several more benefits provided by oat meals including reducing hypertension, weight and more importantly reducing the risk of cancer," he said.

"Apart from supplying oats in bulk, our packaged oat products come as an extension to our wide variety of premium goods marketed under our flagship Jenan brand, including Flour, Pasta, Edible Oils, Noodles, Poultry, Pulses, Maize and Rice, and they fully adhere to our stringent quality measures. We continue to witness steady demand growth on our products in the Middle Eastern and African markets," Ibrahim concluded.

The high-tech facility has been developed up to the latest principals of sustainable architecture, using environment friendly building products, ecological construction methods, and recycling and water conservation practices.

-Ends-

About Al Ghurair Foods
Al Ghurair Foods entered the foods industry sector in 1976 through the creation of National Flour Mills. Since that time, a diversified portfolio of food products has been developed through a regionally proactive and forward thinking participation.  Growing from a small flour mill to a technologically advanced, multi- product manufacturing enterprise, Al Ghurair Foods' market presence has grown to over 50 countries with a customer base in 4 continents. Jenan is the key brand offering products in various categories that include Flour, Pasta, Edible Oils, Noodles, Poultry, Oats, Pulses, Maize and Rice.

For press enquiries, please contact:
Sarah Noueihed
Quill Communications
Mobile: +971 55 4048224
Email: snoueihed@quillmena.com

© Press Release 2011